Should baby boys wear pink? Supposedly, the color pink was designated for girls and blue designated for boys so people would be able to distinguish a baby boy from a baby girl. This theory is somewhat confusing since it's appropriate to use the "neutral" colors, mint green and yellow for both a boy and girl. If these colors are appropriate for both, how do we distinguish the gender? We ask if we're unsure. You know the question, I'm sure you've asked it a hundred times too, "Is it a boy or girl"? If asking a simple question will clarify this uncertainty, why can't we put little boys in pink and little girls in blue and eliminate the stigma?

Could it be that we, society, have developed a phobia and we're afraid that if we put little boys in pink we think they will end up Gay? Does America see pink as a Sissy color? Afterall, pink is seen as quiet, calm and feminine color. On many occasions, I've heard mothers of baby boys say, "I'm not putting my baby boy in pink". Blue is seen as strong and steadfast, but in today's society it's acceptable for a woman to have these characteristics, at least to a certain point. Which leads to more contradiction.

Did you know that prisons use pink to help diffuse violence. Why aren't the prison walls painted blue if it is a manly color? Instead they're painting the walls pink and encouraging men to get in touch with their feminine side. A side that we teach little boys from infancy to not have. We all know that violent criminals need more than a pink wall for rehabilitation, but many believe that the color pink helps with this endeavor. Pink is a soft, non-threatening color. That's what we want our violent criminals to be, soft and non-threatening. Shouldn't we have put them in pink at infancy if this is the goal?

Lets look at this contradiction from another perspective. It's inappropriate for baby boys to wear pink, but men are wearing shades of pastels these days. Lavender, corral, yellow, and pink. Yes, I said pink! I've witnessed it in corporate America with shirts and ties, and polos for golfers. I witnessed one of my doctors the other day wearing a beautiful fuchsia tie. I wonder if an NFL linebacker would strut a fuchsia tie or pink shirt? Yep, we found Brandon Spikes, who is a linebacker for the New England Patriots, not only in a pink tie and shirt, but in pink from head to toe. Brandon calls it his lucky suit. I'm not sure this would have happened years ago.

Here's the infamous and gorgeous Brad Pitt. What is he doing, he's rocking a pink suit. Who would have thought that one of Hollywood's finest would be photographed in a pink suit. So what has changed? I believe people have become more tolerant and as a result attitudes have changed. I'm also crediting the pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness in helping men become more comfortable in wearing pink and other pastel colors. My SIL who is a school administrator wears pink shirts and ties. He also buys pink dress shirts for my grandson, who is a 5; however, he wouldn't hear of putting my grandson in pink as an infant. We love to know if you would allow your little boy or grandson to wear pink? Please leave us a comment and let us know your thoughts.